Nash's return not imminent, he will be re-evaluated Friday

Steve Nash walked gingerly as he exited the Lakers' training room at Staples Center, still favoring his broken left leg as he approached his locker.

His return to the court was delayed another week, pending a re-evaluation Friday, and the veteran point guard isn't sure what additional tests will reveal.

"I think Mother Nature is a big component of this," Nash said. "The waiting game is always frustrating."

Nash has been out since suffering a small non-displaced fracture in his fibula Oct. 30 in a loss against Portland. He was examined by team doctor Steve Lombardo last week, and Lombardo pushed back the return date.

Nash will continue working on individual drills and wait for the Lakers' coaching situation to be settled. The Lakers fired Mike Brown on Friday after the team's 1-4 start and already have talked to Mike Dunleavy and Mike D'Antoni, while Phil Jackson decides whether to return to the bench for a third stint.

Nash, who signed with the Lakers in the offseason, barely got a chance to play in Brown's offense, having been injured in the second game of the season. He has played a total of 50 minutes, collecting just nine points and eight assists.

"It (getting a new coach) will be weird for me on a number of fronts because it will be new coach, new offense, new injury, new coach, new offense for me," Nash said.

While Nash wouldn't mind being re-united with D'Antoni, who coached him in Phoenix, the guard sounded excited about the chance to play for Jackson.

"It would obviously be a coup for the franchise to have somebody of his success rate and his history with this club and with Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, in particular, it would be fantastic," Nash said. "For me personally it would be fantastic."

Nash said he didn't think playing in Jackson's triangle offense would be a problem.

"Most people would look at myself in (the triangle) offense and say it's not a great fit," he said. "I look at it as a great opportunity to try something new in a different stage in my career."

COACH ... FOR NOW

At age 68 and a veteran of the NBA coaching merry-go-round, Bernie Bickerstaff doesn't hold any illusions about his current gig. He knows his stay as interim Lakers coach is a short one.

But he's not getting caught up in the side show of who will replace the fired Brown on a permanent basis.

"My job is to coach the basketball team until they ring the bell," he said. "I'm looking at trying to win this game tonight. I mean, lets look at it. What's the reality?

"We all know what's going on. I'm not naïve. I know what's going on. I consented to do this and that's what I'm doing. I'm not worried about the big picture and I'm not worried about the next picture. All I'm doing is coaching the basketball team.